Breathe, For Love Tomorrow

Summary:
Alright, while my muse works on Hero of War and I wait for an update from my co-author, I thought I would throw this up. Original characters, but the main book canons are all here and they are all very in character, if I do say so myself. Read and Review for more - I need it more then you know! "Another set of passing feet – it happened often in a hospital – but this one too quick and smooth, not touching the ground enough between strides. A smell, a sweet and musky smell that made her lips twitch at the corners in a small smile. Then, a cool hand on the metal of the outside handle and the opening of the door. "

Notes:
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1. my world was on fire

Lucy Amelia Winters sat on the patient bench in the quiet office, waiting to see the doctor. Of course, it wasn’t just any doctor – if it had been her palms wouldn’t have been sweaty and her heart wouldn’t be about to force its way out of her chest. She frowned at the thought and closed her eyes. A succession of long, deep breaths and she found she could force her pulse to slow to a rapid throbbing instead of a hyper paced hum. She expelled the breath from between full, peach tinted lips and opened her eyes once more. Her eyes were wide and an electric blue – an odd unnatural blue. People often found it difficult to keep eye contact with her or even to believe she wasn’t wearing exotic contacts. It wasn’t as if she cared terribly much if people believed her or not – if it was easier for them to accept that her eyes were a product of contacts then she wasn’t going to go out of her way to convince them otherwise. Her eyes matched the eyes of the man in the photo that she had tucked in her bag – a newspaper clipping actually, from Chicago. And it wasn’t of him, explicitly, but he was in it and even in black and white she knew they shared the same compassionate, twinkling eyes.

Eyes that twinkled in a way that should have only occurred in stories about young children heading off to magic school. Of course, such things didn’t exist. Magic did, and quiet possible schools for teaching it once upon a time, but they didn’t take place in giant castles with ghosts and wands and potions lessons. Human propaganda, that was all that was. Oh well, it helped keep them hidden, didn’t it? And being hidden was rather essential to survival. She shook her head, as if the action could clear her mind, and her eyes fell on the door again. Another set of passing feet – it happened often in a hospital – but this one too quick and smooth, not touching the ground enough between strides. A smell, a sweet and musky smell that made her lips twitch at the corners in a small smile. Then, a cool hand on the metal of the outside handle and the opening of the door. She tried not to make a sound, she really did. However, her heart did that thing where it started pounding almost painfully against her ribcage and her hand immediately went to her throat as if that could hold it down should it try to jump up and escape. She felt an electric current rush over her skin and warmth spread over her arms.

Oh, great. She was physically glowing. Calm down, calm down. She repeated the mantra in her head, knowing the glowing would be a little difficult to explain as a symptom for anything and as soon as it began her skin lost the shimmering effect. It was in fact, just in time. The next second seemed to last forever, and then she saw his face and felt a little dizzy and out of breath all at once. Then her eyes fluttered shut and she felt her head hit the papered surface behind her and she fainted. “Lucy? Miss Winters, can you hear me? My name is Carlisle, Carlisle Cullen. You’ve fainted – can you hear me? No, she seems fine – low blood sugar perhaps. Oh, hold on… ah, here she is. Lucy? You fainted, let’s have you sit up here.” A very cold hand on the small of her back, doing all the work as it gently propped her up and then, the hand replaced by the cold wall against her back, allowing her to lean against it. A rather bright light, shining in her eyes, causing the iris to contract and become a pinpoint sized dot in a sea of glittering blue. The door closed and someone left although she couldn’t imagine who. His voice demanded her focus again.“Follow my finger, Lucy.”“I’m trying, but as it happens,” she muttered, looking away and rubbing her eyes, “I can’t see.”“Are you having problems seeing me?”She let out a soft laugh, and her hand gently came to close around his wrist and push away the offending light. “Yes, someone was sticking a pen light in my eye, actually.” She replied finally, blinking a few times to refocus her gaze. Bad idea. She found herself gasping for breath again, and he took a step back, an almost amused look on his angelic face. She knew he would be different, beautiful – all vampires were but it still shocked her. Of course she didn’t look at him and find herself attracted to him- he was her father for God’s sake – but she still found it difficult to look at him and not be in awe.“I fainted.” She stated finally, finding her voice. He nodded, seemingly sensing her… discomfort and taking a seat at the desk where what she assumed was her folder lay. “Yes – I walked in and you fainted.” His voice wasn’t smug or arrogant, if not only slightly amused. He didn’t seem over confidant or vain but then, she hadn’t expected him to. She blushed and fiddled with the hem of her crinkled paper dress, crossing her ankles.“I’ll be that doesn’t happen often.” She swallowed roughly. He chuckled and her heart fluttered. Such a beautiful sound, his laughter. She raised a hand to touch her own lips, wondering if she sounded like that when she laughed. Her gaze flitted to her pile of clothes on one of the chairs. Great, she must have seemed like a slob, her attire all thrown in a pile and to the side. First impressions, however, were clearly out the window anyway. She was brought back to the conversation at hand but his voice – just as, if not more, beautiful then his laugh.“You’d be surprised.” He replied quietly, his smile there but almost too subtle to read, as if in on some private joke. She blushed deeper still and shrugged, trying to regain her ability to think intelligent thoughts and form coherent sentences.“I missed lunch, my apologies.” She tried to sound nonchalant, off hand. She wasn’t sure if she just ended up sounding offended. Of course, he could never offend her. Such a wondrous creature – she doubted it was possible.“Lunch –not as important as breakfast but still, one must eat.”She choked on her breath and she found him in front her again. Then, a thought struck her and she couldn’t suppress a smirk, forcing her eyes to his. He stared back, his eyes smoldering, holding her gaze too long. She blushed red again and looked away. However, she wasn’t willing to give up this opportunity for dramatic irony.“Do we?”He didn’t even falter. Figures. “Of course, three meals a day, all the correct food from each food group – you do eat don’t you? I personally like bonbons, although I do have to have them imported and they are hardly one of the main food groups…” his rambling was endearing and almost human. As he spoke, without her even realizing, he had wrapped the blood pressure monitor around her arm.“You’ve done this before, I assume. It will pinch a bit, only for-”“I’m not four, Dr. Cullen.” She frowned. Lucy had never liked being regarded as a child – her body was seventeen but she was far older. He smiled, humoring her.“Of course. Well, all done.”Gah, how did he do that? Red eyed vampires didn’t… dazzle her. They didn’t make it hard to think or to focus on what was being done around her. She tugged her arm out of his slender fingers, feeling the heat creep up her neck again. He smiled again – that almost imperceptible smile, and she wondered if he always smiled like that. “Say ah.”Disgusting. A wood tongue depressor. Once it was out of her mouth she made a face.“Do you even know what you’re looking for? You didn’t even ask me what my symptoms were.” She pointed out, scooting closer to the edge of the bench. He glanced up at her, his brow furrowed ever so slightly.“Is there anything you didn’t tell the nurse?” he motioned absently to the folder where he had been making notes. She blushed again. Just stop talking altogether, it might go smoother,She thought fiercely. “No, I guess that’s it.”“Are you sure? I have here…” he basically rode the chair to the desk and she suppressed a small laugh. “Stomach discomfort, excessive tiredness that could be considered lethargic, general aches and pains…You know something, Lucy? Your file is very empty. Almost vague. Did you come here with your parents?”“My parents are dead.”Well it was true. And better then, “Oh no, you’re my dad and my mom is dead.”He cleared his throat. “I am very sorry to hear that, Lucy. Who is your acting guardian, if I may ask?”“I’m my own. Have you found anything wrong with me, Dr.Cullen? Because I have to go… do other things and…”Tell me you have to keep me over night or that I can never leave, I would be okay with that! She practically screamed in her mind. It made her heart hurt, thinking of leaving him. There wasn’t enough time in the world. He was talking, and she only caught the last part. Blood tests? “I… hate needles.”“It’s not a big needle, Lucy. If we do the blood work, we can see if you are iron deficient and if you are, we will be able to treat it right away.”The way he looked at her then; she would have thrown herself off a cliff if he had asked.“Uh, yeah. Sure. Blood tests are fine.”He smiled warmly, and nodded, the folder under his arm. “I will leave you to dress and then the nurse will make the appointment for you, alright?”She nodded, mutely. He smiled again.“Nice to meet you, Lucy.”“Nice to meet you, too.” A pause, and he left. “I love you..” The last words fell from her lips, almost inaudibly and she fought back the instinct to run after him, to cry, to tell him everything. She dressed, and as she let the truth set in. That was her father and she did love him. More then she could have fathomed, more then she had been prepared for, more then anything she could have hoped or desired or expected. Everything she had read in her mothers diary was truer now – his compassion, his laughter, his brilliant eyes, his tenderness. She passed by the cars parked along the curb, catching her reflection in the dark. Golden curls fell loosely down her back, stopping under her shoulder blades and her face was soft and heart shaped. Blue eyes, long thick lashes, slender features and high cheek bones and full, pretty lips. It was like looking in a mirror when she looked at him and it thrilled her and terrified her all at once. There was no going back now.